Younger
gamers captivated by the movie are the intended audience.
All other men in tights should move along. by Cole Smith

March
7, 2006 - First
of all the title, "The Incredibles," should
be changed to "The Incredible," since you
only get to play as Mr. Incredible and not as the
other member of the family. Right there you are limited
in the different moves and abilities that you can
access. The only other playable character is Frozone
but it's no secret that Mr. Incredible has the most
fun in the co-op mode.

The
Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer begins where the
motion picture left off. The underground dwelling
evil mastermind known as the Underminer is poised
to threaten Metroville from his underground lair.
Festooned with legions of evil robots, Mr. Incredible
and Frozone must infiltrate this subterranean world
and do battle with the mechanical hordes in an attempt
to stop the Underminer from executing his dastardly
plan of polluting the planet.

Before
I go any further I have to point out that this game
is targeted for young kids and gamers that don't want
much of a challenge. It's very straightforward and
somewhat redundant, especially with the constant robot
battles. A blend of puzzles, platforming and RPG elements
manage to break up the monotony and the excellent
production values displayed in the cutscenes is the
closest thing you're going to experience to an Incredibles
sequel - until the sequel.

Mr.
Incredible has the abilities to throw objects, including
enemies, at other enemies. He can also lift things,
which is a good thing because how else is he going
to throw something if he can't lift it? And because
he's the muscle of the team he can smash things such
as door, crates and enemies - but the large enemies
have to be frozen first. That's the job of Frozone.
With his freezing abilities he's able to turn enemy
bots into ice pillars for Mr. Incredible to pick up,
throw and smash. He can also create ice ramps and
bridges for Mr. Incredible to run on and reach inaccessible
areas. As you can tell, Frozone plays a supporting
role in the game and while he can throw a few punches
he's not nearly as powerful as Mr. Incredible. It's
not so bad in the single-player mode where you toggle
between the two but if you're stuck with him in the
co-op mode you will be begging for a change.

Even
when playing as Mr. Incredible there are only a couple
of buttons to mash to perform your limited amount
of moves. You can purchase more moves and enhance
the ones you already have by cashing in your experience
points that you earn for defeating enemies. If you're
actually interested in leveling-up your character
much like you would in a RPG then the grind of combat
may actually be seen as a rewarding concept. You can
switch between the two characters with the use of
the D-pad and if both characters are required for
a kill then both will receive an equal number of experience
points.

The
in-game graphics aren't amazing but they are very
good, almost comparable to the movie but certainly
not as good. The cutscenes however are comparable
to the movie. I haven't seen the movie since it was
released so I can't really remember how close the
voiceovers are to the original actors. Sound-alikes
were used and do a great job of playing it straight
with cheesy one-liners and comical interactions. The
sound effects are top notch but the music could stand
a lot more variety since the main theme is remixed
to death.

Rise
of the Underminer is not meant for hardcore gamers.
It's not even worth renting if you're looking for
a challenge. Younger kids that love the Incredibles
but aren't exactly skilled gamers are going to have
the best time with this game and at a budget price
of $20, it makes an excellent Christmas gift.

Features

All
new action/adventure game that begins where the
film, Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar
Animation Studios film, The Incredibles concludes

Play
as Mr Incredible or Frozone

Cooperative
gameplay with the ability to change characters at
any point in the game

Upgrade
your character's moves and abilities as you advance
through the game

By
Cole SmithCCC
Senior Writer

Rating
out of 5

The
Incredibles: Rise Of The Underminer (PS2)

4.4

GraphicsMaybe
not up to the quality of some Xbox games
but it sure looks good on the PS2. The cutscenes
are movie quality.

4.0

ControlFor
what there is here the controls are tight
but there's just not enough here.

3.8

Music
/ Sound FX / Voice ActingSound-alike
actors do a great job of bringing the characters
to life but the soundtrack needs more variety.

3.5

Play
ValueThe
Co-op mode is a great excuse to replay the
game but after that there's not many more
excuses to visit it again.

3.7

Overall
Rating -
Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above
for a final score breakdown.